The Best Of Me
by GearsGirl6295
Summary: Baird's been hit with an ink grenade, and it doesn't look too good as he and Sam are alone, stranded in a snowstorm. Will he get the chance to express his feelings for her before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Samantha Byrne tried once again to reach someone, anyone as she watched Damon Baird's body convulse as he coughed. He groaned, squeezing her hand as he cursed.

"Control, please respond." Static continued to buzz in her ear, and Sam finally switched the com off to conserve power. She looked at Baird; his eyes were shut tight.

"N-Nothing, huh?" He stuttered through clenched teeth, trying to stay calm as it slowly became even more difficult to breathe. Sam shook her head, trying not to look defeated. He leaned on his side and wretched, and Sam wiped his mouth with her handkerchief before he got the chance.

"Don't worry, they'll come. You'll see, five more minutes."

Baird nodded his head weakly, eyes still clamped shut. His ribs felt as if they'd been broken, each breath like a thousand daggers piercing his chest.

"Just a little longer, I promise." She added softly, stroking his head at a steady pace with her free hand, gently smoothing his tousled hair away from his eyes.

"O…k," he wheezed.

Baird recalled her saying that ten, no, twenty minutes ago, but something in her soft tone made him feel better, despite their seemingly hopeless situation. He coughed, even harder this time; a soft whimper passing his lips, then opened his eyes before gagging again.

Another thirty minutes passed as the two sat together in complete silence, aside from Baird's persistent cough, which was getting worse. Sam had given up on the com link, and was now staring at the blonde haired mechanic as his blue eyes searched her face.

"I love you Sam." Baird's voice, a raspy, choked whisper, broke the silence that surrounded the male gear and his companion, who managed to grip his shaking hand even tighter as he spoke, despite her own frailty. Sam was shivering; from cold, fear or both it was unclear as her lips parted slightly. Something in her deep brown gaze changed as he uttered those words, only for a moment before her face returned to the fearful expression she'd worn for the past hour.

"I…just…wanted to…t-tell you that…" he panted, looking more exhausted with each intake of air. He managed a warm smile before his face contorted with pain, and he began to gasp weakly for air.

Unable to respond, words caught in her throat, the female gear gently pressed her lips against his, releasing his hand to cradle his head, which rested limp in her icy palms. He felt the warmth of her breath as she leaned close to his face; the heat of her skin against his as they kissed a welcome sensation in the midst of the storm, which had caused snow to accumulate since earlier that morning.

Baird could barely make out her features as she reluctantly pulled back, but whether or not that was due to the lack of daylight or the effect of the ink grenade on his eyesight, he wasn't sure. He searched for her eyes; those beautiful chocolate brown eyes that constantly reminded him that everything would be ok. Her gaze had been a comfort to him the past hour, but now there was nothing but a hazy blackish-grey as his powder blue eyes frantically searched the surrounding area, blinking rapidly.

"S-Sam? I…can't see-" His sentence was cut off by a cough that wracked his entire body with such a pain it was almost indescribable. His weakened frame shuttered as he choked, fighting back the urge to vomit again. Finally the coughing subsided enough for him to continue speaking. He wheezed as he gulped for air.

"I c-can't see you." Baird's voice held genuine fear, something Sam had never witnessed before. She held both his hands now, pulling them to her heart.

"Baird? Baird…It's alright. Baird-" The male gear squirmed against the ground, attempting to ward off his sudden blindness.

"I can't…see you," he wheezed again, doing his best to keep his words steady. "I can't-" He blinked hard several times, gritting his teeth with his effort. Baird at last opened his eyes to realize he could make out Sam's face once more. The image was fuzzy, but it was enough.

The slightest smile touched his colorless face as he struggled to breathe; every intake of oxygen was like a pile of bricks being dropped on his chest, and the burden only got worse as time progressed. Even the beat of his heart seemed to pain him. He could feel nothing but pain now, not the bitter chill of the wind, nor the frigid dampness of his snow-covered clothes. Not even the tender touch of Sam's hand in his. The mechanic used all the strength he had left to continue breathing as the world seemed to fade into a grayish haze again. Even in his disoriented state, Damon Baird knew he was going to die.

"Sam…?" Baird rasped, the toxic vapors of the Kantus' grenade slowly crushing his lungs. He found it increasingly difficult to focus on her eyes as Sam gently ran her fingers through his golden hair, combing through the small spatters of black ink.

"Hmm?" was all she mustered, keeping her quivering lips locked together. He blinked tightly again, determined to keep her in sight.

"I-I'm scared…I don't want to-" Sam quickly placed her fingertips over is lips, willing him not to speak.

"Shh… I'm right here. Baird, can you hear me? You're going to be fine, do you understand?" Her voice came out in a frantic tone, louder than she would have liked as she cupped his cheek in her hand. He began choking again, coughing pitifully as she held back the burning tears in her eyes.

"Damon," she lowered her quivering voice. "Don't you dare leave me. You're going to have to fight, do you understand? Damon, look at me…" She straightened his head as he fidgeted around, shifting against the ground as the steadily increasing amounts of pain once again began to grip his exhausted body. He did his best to focus on her eyes, pursing his lips defiantly as he felt the need to gag.

"With every ounce of your being, every bit of strength you have, I need you to fight. Ok?"

Sam was unable to control her emotions now as the tears began to trickle down her face.

"Please," she paused, shaking her head. "Please don't leave me here alone." The brunette stroked his forehead; his skin was moist with sweat. "I love you," she whispered, unable to hold back her sobs as he gasped for air. The pain in his chest was becoming to excruciating to bear.

"S-Sam…" The words gurgled in his throat, and Sam at once rolled the massive gear to his side. He vomited again; not as much as before, but still an unsettling black which made the brunette cringe. Eventually he stopped vomiting, but the dry heaves persisted, as if his body was trying to rid him of the toxin, but there was just nothing left in him. As the minutes dragged by, Baird's skin became ashen, his lips as white as the snow that continued to fall.

"I'm, s-sorry…" the blonde muttered his voice even weaker then before. "I can't…I-" a tear rolled down his face as he bit his lip, fresh onslaughts of pain threatening to overtake him. He squeezed Sam's hand like a vice as he gasped for air.

"No, no- Damon?" Sam searched frantically for signs of life as Baird's body slumped, his hand limp in her grip. His eyes began to flutter as hushed little coughs past his lips.

"I'm…sorry…"

"Damon, stop it! You can't die, oh God…." Baird's eyes closed as he lay still against the snow-covered ground.

"D-Damon? Damon?!" Sam shook his hand in hers gently, her tears dripping on his face as she leaned over him. She brushed at the snow starting to accumulate in his hair.

"Damon?" she whispered softly, searching his blank expression for any signs of life; his colorless face, slightly parted lips. The small puffs of steam that had filled the air as he choked had ceased coming from his mouth, which meant-

He was completely still.

Sam pulled back, frightened at the sudden realization.

_He couldn't be… _She took hold of his hand and shook it hard.

"Damon!" She screamed, gripping his lifeless body by the shoulders. She shook him with every bit of her strength, but he slumped in her hold.

"Oh…oh no…" she choked. She fell onto his chest, gripping the fabric of his thick shirt as she sobbed.

"Please…please don't go…"she begged, her tears staining his clothing. Sam buried her face in his chest as she continued to cry; she'd never felt more alone in her life.

Just then, Sam jumped when she heard a thud. She opened her blood-shot eyes and glanced around the deserted clearing. Nothing. Thunder? No, couldn't be. The brunette shifted her cheek against her companion's chest.

_Wait…_

She pressed her ear closer, listening carefully. A soft sigh passed Sam's lips as she heard the steady- weak, but steady-thump of Baird's heart. She stayed closely pressed to him, the sound like music to her ears.

"You'll be alright. Don't worry, you'll be alright," she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam didn't know how long she slept, but the crunching of heavy booted feet through the snow had started her awake, and she looked around the darkness blindly for the figures responsible. She coughed as she tried to call out, the remains of the ink vapors she'd dragged Baird out of earlier still lurking in her system. Before she could call a second time, a horrible thought made her body go numb with fear.

_What if it's not them? What if…the Locust…_

Sam listened hard, cringing as Baird coughed. He was drifting in and out of consciousness; dehydration threatening to do him in before the lethal contents of the ink grenade.

_What if the grubs were coming back to finish the job?_

"S-Sam…what's-" Baird's voice was thick and hoarse, barely a whisper. Sam tried to meet his gaze as his eyes rolled back, their lids fluttering as his body desperately fought to keep him awake.

"I…" He had a sick look to his face as his lips attempted to make words. Sam cringed. He looked like he needed to puke his guts out, but she knew nothing could possibly come up now. He'd failed to hold down the sips of water she'd forced into his system earlier, so the brunette had given up trying to keep him hydrated; it only seemed to make things worse.

Sam touched her icy fingers to Baird's lips as he let out a soft groan, more like a pitiful whimper as fresh waves of pain took hold. Not only had the ink done damage, but he was also dehydrated, and frozen to the bone.

"Shh…Baird, please." Her voice was shaking as her free hand reached for her Boltok, the only weapon they had that still had ammunition.

Four rounds. _Bloody hell...I'll make them count then._

She squeezed Baird's hand as he gasped for air, unsure of the positions of their visitors, whose footsteps were coming closer. Slowly.

They were in grub territory, a pretty good distance from home, and the comms were dead. Sam covered Baird's arms with the thin blanket she'd found in one of her packs. It was a far cry from what was needed to stay warm on a night like this, but it'd have to do.

Baird wheezed, and Sam wasn't sure how long he had left. How long either of them had left. She'd gotten him out of the ink fast; he didn't sit in it for very long at all, but it had splattered all over his chest-plate and clothing, so Sam had had to remove his gloves and armor, as well as his first thermal sweater when she'd discovered the sleeves were stained black all the way up to the elbows. _He needed those layers,_ she'd fretted as she removed her own gloves, drenched in the inky black liquid. Sam was just glad that Damon Baird had such a distain for cold weather; he'd bundled in two more thermals before leaving base. Still, he was shivering—they both were—and Sam knew lying in the snow had something to do with it.

But he couldn't move. They were stuck, and the enemy was approaching.

"Baird? Baird, stay with me," the female gear pleaded, keeping her voice low as she lightly slapped his cheek.

"I…need-" Baird wheezed in reply, gripping Sam's hand weakly before his eyes shut again. She knew he was only unconscious, just sleeping, but panic at once took hold, and Sam forced herself not to scream his name. She put her ear close to his mouth; his breathing was weak, and irregular, but…he was breathing. Sam kissed his head, noticing with relief the little puffs of steam escaping his mouth as his exhaled.

_Baird's a fighter. He'll pull through. He always does. Just a little longer sweetheart. _

Sam could hear her heart hammer against her chest as branches shook 30 feet away. She held her breath and squeezed Baird's lifeless hand. _If I'm gonna go, I'm bloody well taking a few with me. _The brunette took aim, looking past the Boltok's barrel to the swaying branches ahead, and waited.

_Goodbye Baird. I am so sorry. _


	3. Chapter 3

She almost fired; Sam was a moment, mere seconds from pulling the trigger when she heard a voice, saw the blue glow of a COG chest-plate light up the surrounding darkness.

"Sam? Baird?" Marcus Fenix's voice was low and steady, but his expression slackened slightly when the pair in question came into view. "Aw, hell…"

Sam exhaled as another glowing figure approached. Then another. As they came close, Sam could make out Dom Santiago and Augustus Cole, who lowered their lancers when they spotted their friends. Sam let her arm go limp, suddenly exhausted and overwhelmingly relieved as she released the pistol from her grip. She coughed, gritting her teeth to keep them from chattering.

"You came," she said weakly, mustering a small smile as Marcus knelt down in front of her. His fathomless blue eyes scanned her face for a split second before falling on Baird, who was still unconscious.

"Of course we did. Dom, Cole," he looked up at his squad-mates, who were both trying to comprehend what they saw. Baird was lying lifeless on the ground as Sam held his hand in her lap. She was sniffling, unaware she'd been crying until Delta had shown up. They were both shivering, and unsettlingly pale. Cole and Dom at once noticed Sam's legs, covered with fresh burns—Polyps, no doubt—and her arm, which was pretty badly torn up. They needed to get the hell out of there, now.

"Grab him and get him in the truck," Marcus barked, gesturing to the blonde. Dom and Cole were on him in seconds, carefully lifting his body by the arms and legs and carried him to their pack-horse.

"B-But, how did you know we were out h-here?" Sam managed as she shivered; her wet clothes making her feel even colder as the snow continued to fall. "The c-coms are d-dead…"

"We heard every word, we just couldn't respond. Come on," The dark-haired sergeant reached out to touch Sam's uninjured arm, and at once felt her body convulse with chill. "We're going home."

The female gear looked up with heavy eyes as he stood. Marcus put his hand out, but as he heard Sam cough and glanced at her injuries, he knew she was in no position to walk.

"Marcus! Let's go!" Dom's voice broke the night's silence as he shut the pack-horse door. Cole was in the back with Baird, who was awake again. The ex-thrashball player was talking to his friend casually, almost cheerfully, as he tried to keep him awake. Dom swung into the driver's seat and started the truck.

Sam wiped her mouth on her sleeve, trying to blink away the tiredness in her eyes._ Damn, I didn't even hear that thing._

"On our way!" Marcus called back.

Sam attempted to stand up, but Marcus had already wrapped his massive arms around her; he slipped one arm under her knees, while the other supported her back, and lifted her from the snow-covered ground with next to no effort.

Sam closed her eyes; she hadn't realized just how tired she really was until then, and the brunette gear let her head rest gratefully against Marcus' shoulder as he made his way back to the truck.


End file.
